Dubai: Nepal and Oman secured their berths for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after guaranteeing top-three finishes in the Asia/East Asia-Pacific Qualifier ahead of their Super Six clash.
With UAE defeating Samoa and set to face Japan on Thursday, Oman and Nepal’s progression to the 2026 event was confirmed irrespective of the result of their remaining Super Six fixture.
Five of the first six matches in the Super Six stage went to the final over with the Nepalis prevailing in two nail-biters to book their tickets.
Unbeaten in group action, Nepal brought two carry over points to the Super Six stage before their final-ball victories against UAE and Qatar.
Against UAE, Dipendra Singh Airee was hit for a six by Dhruv Parashar to bring the equation down to just three runs off the final three balls but a catch to Sundeep Jora and two back-to-back run outs turned the game decisively, ensuring a last-gasp victory for Nepal.
A day later, Rohit Paudel’s team pulled off another stunning win against Qatar, who were cruising at 97/1 in pursuit of 148. Sandeep Lamichhane (5/18) sparked a collapse, and with only two wickets in hand needing 10, the Qataris left themselves
too much to do.